Questions for Oral Answer
As At Thursday, 20 November 2003

Questions to Ministers

1. HEATHER ROY to the Associate Minister of Health: Does she stand by her claim in the British Medical Journal that "Conventional Western medicine has been unable to close the disparities in mortality and health revealed in official statistics." and does she accept the findings in the 1999 Ministry of Health report Our Health, Our Future that "The improvement that has occurred in Maori life expectancy at birth since 1950 has been described as spectacular"?

2. PETER BROWN to the Minister of Health: Has she received any reports that would justify the current breast screening age criteria to be widened outside ages 50-64?

3. METIRIA TUREI to the Minister of Education: What advice, if any, has he received from the Minister for Sport and Recreation as to how children's fitness and health may be affected if they have to be transported long distances to school, rather than encouraged to walk or cycle to a local school, as a result of school closures?

4. LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN to the Minister of Housing: What community renewal programmes are being undertaken to revitalise State housing-rich neighbourhoods?

5. Hon TONY RYALL to the Minister of Corrections: What is the expected cost for the construction and completion of the proposed Spring Hill prison at Meremere?

6. STEVE CHADWICK to the Minister of Health: What funding increases, if any, has the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society had since 1999?

7. KATHERINE RICH to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Has there been an increase in the number of beneficiaries on the sickness benefit since November 1999; if so, what is the size of the increase?

8. JILL PETTIS to the Minister of Commerce: What steps, if any, is the Government taking to deal with the problems arising from inadequate maintenance of apartments under the Unit Titles Act 1972, as identified in the Auckland Regional Council's Bodies Corporate and Intensive Housing in Auckland report?

9. JUDY TURNER to the Minister of Health: Is she satisfied with the progress made over the past year towards providing more and better services for the 3 percent of people experiencing serious mental disorders as called for in the national mental health strategy?

10. Dr PAUL HUTCHISON to the Minister for Crown Research Institutes: Will he work with AgResearch to ensure the internationally recognised Wallaceville research facility stays open beyond 2008 in its existing state; if not, why not?

11. IAN EWEN-STREET to the Minister for Biosecurity: Why did the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry decide it could not eradicate post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome found at three North Island pig farms, when expert epidemiologists and veterinarians have advised the Pork Industry Board that there is a 50 percent chance of containing and possibly eradicating the disease?

12. MAHARA OKEROA to the Associate Minister for Economic Development: What initiatives has the Government implemented to build capacity in the Maori tourism business sector?

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